CMS Releases Proposed CoP Rule - October 25, 2011

On Oct. 18, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule revising the existing Conditions of Participation (CoP) for hospitals. The proposed rule is designed to reduce the regulatory burden on hospitals. Important proposed changes to the CoPs include allowing one governing body to oversee multiple hospitals in a single health system and enabling hospitals to develop a single, interdisciplinary care plan for patients that supports coordination of care rather than requiring a separate, standalone nursing care plan.

CMS also released a proposed rule on Oct. 18 that addresses regulatory reforms for a broader range of providers under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The two-dozen-plus proposed regulatory changes include ending the need to maintain expired Federal Office of Management and Budget paperwork control numbers and eliminating outdated Medicaid qualification standards for physical and occupational therapists. By reducing administrative costs, CMS estimates that annual savings to hospitals from the proposed revisions to the CoPs could exceed $900 million in the first year, and that the broader regulatory reform rule could save up to $200 million in the first year.

According to NAPH’s Vice President for Advocacy and Policy Beth Feldpush, “These proposed rules will enable hospitals to use their staff, particularly clinical staff, more efficiently. Instead of spending time on duplicative paperwork requirements and burdensome administrative tasks, hospital staff can now spend more time delivering patient care, working in integrated teams, and focusing on continuing to improve quality.”

For any questions, please contact Xiaoyi Huang at 202-585-0127 or xhuang@naph.org.